Obstacles Don’t Need to Undermine Your Child’s Ability to Persevere

By: Becky Post

Parents hear a lot these days about the knowledge-based economy that their children have inherited.We are frequently reminded that our children need to master more high-level academic material than previous generations, and that means they need to call upon developed skills of motivation and persistence.

Helping kids develop persistence and other noncognitive skills is essential in them doing well in school and other endeavors. Some of the ways these noncognitive skills can be nurtured include:

helping young people identify their sparks, those interests that keep them motivated;

helping young people connect their “current selves” to their “possible selves;” and

helping young understand that intelligence is a malleable quality that can be increased with effort over time.

Another key factor is increasing perseverance involves helping kids learn how to overcome obstacles that inevitably occur. Those obstacles might be genuine problems related to health, family, or friends. Or maybe they become bored or impatient. In addition, advances in gaming, instant messaging, and mobile technology seem to offer more distraction and instant gratification than ever before.

Whatever the obstacle is, the young person needs to be able to recognize the problem and ask for help. In addition, parents, educators, and other concerned adults need to know how to intervene and lend support.

For the past few months, Dr. Kent Pekel, President and CEO of Search Institute, has presented a series of webinars on helping young people cultivate habits of persistence to achieve academic and life goals. In Dr. Pekel’s final webinar of this series, Persevering Despite Obstacles, participants will learn how to help young people maintain their momentum.

Those who attend this webinar will be equipped with research-based strategies for assisting young people with setting goals and addressing obstacles. Parents will learn how to best support and challenge their children as they become more independent and persevere in reaching goals.